S9 Can't receive MMS on Sprint with Textra/Chomp/Handcent/etc

[Ninerone]

I'm desperately trying to switch to one of these "better than stock" messaging apps since I can no longer set unique message tones for different people. I've never felt the need to use an app other than the built-in Messages since switching to Samsung way back on the S3. I'm kind of glad about this, because I never realized all the cool/useful features apps like Textra, Chomp, and Handcent have.

The problem is I can't get the apps to function with MMS properly on the Sprint network. With the default Messages app I can send and receive seemingly any size picture. With the fancy new camera on this phone, I can snap a photo and send it straight away with Messages and likewise receive them from my wife's S9 in the same fashion. 5mb, 6mb, 7mb... Messages seems to handle them just fine. But once I switch to any of these third-party apps, I'm suddenly not being able to send images (unless I set the size down to 600kb) and I also cannot receive anything over about 1MB. Worse, if my wife sends me a photo taken from her S9, I don't receive ANYTHING - no indication she even sent me something and her phone doesn't report a failed send either.

Of note, this is a brand new phone (obviously) and we switched to Sprint from T-Mobile when we made the upgrade to the S9.

So, TL/DR, I can't get any third-party messaging app to function properly with MMS. Can't send or receive anything over 1MB despite the network clearly being capable of doing so (when using the built-in Messages app).

Any advice?

 

[Rukbat]

Some apps handle larger attachments, some can do individual contact text tones. You'll just have to decide which one you want. It's not a bug or anything, it's just the way the apps are designed. (Handcent is supposed to be able to send attachments of any size. Receiving depends on what's sent in any app.)

 

[Ninerone]

So it's either get the neat features of these third party apps and not get all my messages (nor any indication I'm even missing messages), or get all my messages and not have nice things in my app? I mean, everyone raves about Textra and I can't believe people are using it or any other messages app and content on missing messages. Textra can send and receive unlimited sized mms according to its settings, so I feel like my issue isn't with the apps but with either Sprint, this S9, both, or some combination of everything and some settings I need to tweak.

 

[lucianus_luciferus]

Working fine for me on EE UK.
Check the mms settings as something must be off...

 

[Ninerone]

Working fine for me on EE UK.
Check the mms settings as something must be off...

That's what I'm thinking. I've searched around on the web and tried different APN settings in several different third party apps to no avail. It's the same issue with all of them - not receiving MMS images over 1MB and can't send over 1MB. It's like either Sprint or Samsung is gimping the apps to force you into using the built-in app.

 

[Ninerone]

My kids have some cheapy Motorola phones and I noticed the built in messages app on those phones is Android Messages by Google. Out of curiosity I installed it on my phone to test out MMS and it works fine. None of the issues Textra and the like have. So for now I can use Android Messages because it can do unique tones per person but it lacks the nice features of Textra. I would really like to use Textra though so if anyone has an S9 on Sprint and MMS is working fine please share your settings!